Red Rock Canyon Tour
Two buses carried intrepid M12 attendees to the Red Bull Air Races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, sponsored in part by Cirrus.
Race course was a fascinating challenge to fit within a motor speedway:
Note that there are two runways, 05L and 05R, one inside the speedway only 1200 feet long that competitors taxi out and takeoff to loiter pending the start of the race from the west, through the infiield, out the double pylons and then reverse course along the back straightaway, through the start-finish line and reverse course to repeat for lap 2.
12 competitors were listed – but only 11 flew. Gusty conditions swirling off the desert and over the grandstands created havoc with some of the flight paths and knocked down several pylons, which held up several competitors. Then the wind blew down four pylons at once before the last competitor flew, Pete McLeod of Canada, who was seeded last because he was the fasted qualifier on Saturday. They held the race hoping for improved wind conditions - NOT! Eventually, the cancelled the remaining action and awarded points based on the Saturday qualifying positions.
Challenging conditions and remarkably tight flight paths. First competitor DQ’d because his first course reversal exceeded 10G’s – yikes!
Fun to see so many M12 attendees there. Sunny. Warm, Windy. What’s not to like in the desert, eh?
Cheers
Rick
p.s. Check out the METAR for North Las Vegas during the race hold for gusty conditions, and note the humidity:
KVGT 121953Z 33023G30KT 10SM CLR 31/M12 A2993 RMK AO2 PK WND 33031/1902 SLP132 T03061122
Fun day, but I feel like a fried potato chip
It looks like partial credit is available:
http://m.lvms.com/news/red-bull-air-race-las-vegas-ticket-information.html
Those looking to receive a partial credit for Red Bull Air Race Las Vegas, please mail your ticket to the address provided below. You will then be registered for a 50-percent credit for the October 17-18, 2015 Red Bull Air Race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This policy is not applicable to Race Club, Sky Lounge or complimentary guests. Deadline to receive credit is December, 31, 2014. For more information, please email ticketservices@lvms.com. All guests who purchased their ticket through ticketportal should contact ticketing@redbullairrace.com.
Please include:
Name of original ticket purchaser
Actual Red Bull Air Race Las Vegas tickets
Mail to:
ATTN: Red Bull Air Race Tickets
7000 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Las Vegas, NV 89115
Note: Your ticket had to be scanned on Sunday to be eligible for a credit.